


Emperor Vaskin

by AJ_Cooper



Series: Nigalla Empire [1]
Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies), Rescue Heroes (Cartoon), Star Trek Online, Transformers: Prime, Transformers: Rescue Bots
Genre: 21st Century vehicles, Alliances, Alpha Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon), Alternate Universe - Information Technology, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Alternate Universe - Wings (Later on), Alternative Energy, Christmas Presents, Citadel, Disabled Character, Dragon Riders, Dragonese (How to Train Your Dragon), Epic Battles, Epic Fail, F/F, Fallen Angels, Family Dinners, Ghosts, Guardian Angels, Karoline owns a Bewilderbeast (Later on), Michael Burnham Needs a Hug, Military Training, Mr Miyagi is immortal, New Romulan Ships, New Romulan Uniforms, New guns, Nigallian Empire, No Dialogue, POV Third Person, Parent Christopher Pike, Pokemon Battles, Post-Cybertronian Civil War, Prime Directive (Star Trek), Protective Michael, Rescue Missions, Sela dies, Sirens, Soldiers, Space Battles, Space Whales, Strong Female Characters, Talking Pokemon, The Borg, Water Guns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:28:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26348629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJ_Cooper/pseuds/AJ_Cooper
Summary: In the darkest hour, The Imperial Empress dies. But, a new leader rises. Emperor Vaskin makes a promise to the fractured Romulan Empire. To restore them to their former glory but through peace. Along the way, many challenges will test her to the limit. With her Advisors and Generals, nothing will stop her from ensuring peace across the galaxy...Her way.This is the rise of a new Empire. The rise of the Nigallians.
Relationships: (Past Relationship) Maureen Biologist/Ariel Flyer, Elisa Flores/Original Female Character(s), Jill Hammer/Female Character, T'nae (Star Trek)/Original Female Character(s), Wendy Waters/Ariel Flyer
Series: Nigalla Empire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914604
Comments: 4
Kudos: 1





	1. Sela's Death and Vaskin's Coronation

"No!" Karoline yelled, completely helpless as Hakeev stabbed through her mother figure's stomach, before harshly pulling it out. The Imperials and the Tal Shiar looked in horror, as their Empress fell with a grunt, holding onto the wound.

"The Empress is no more!" Hakeev yelled in victory, pumping the Romulan blade in the air, victoriously. He was met with silence. He turned around to see his own men and the Imperial forces training their guns on him. Sia laughed, causing her to cough. Blood spurted out of her mouth, as she raised to her knees, and looked at her former Colonel.

"Dumbass. Did you really think the Tal Shiar would want their fucking leader dead?" The hybrid fell again. Karoline rushed over and caught her, gently sitting her in an upright position. The blonde looked at her. "Guess I'm out of luck" She half-joked. The Betazoid Admiral looked at her, with fat tears rolling down her cheeks. "Don't cry. I don't need anyone's tears" she croaked.

"I have a fucking right to be crying! You were like a mother to me. I never remembered my original mother, so I saw her in you. You taught me what it means to be a good soldier, a good leader. If you're gone..." Karoline trailed off. Sia looked at her and chuckled.

"To tell you the truth. No-one could've survived half the shit we all put you through" The Empress coughed again, more blood spurting out of her mouth. "Is Taris still here?" she turned her attention to the assembled Romulans.

One of the Tal Shiar Romulans stepped forward and nodded. "Yes, Empress. The Colonel was holding her hostage. He had plans to kill her" She spoke, earning a shocked and betrayed look from the former Colonel.

"Two things will need to happen: One, force Hakeev to kneel," Two Imperials and Tal Shiar officers grabbed the Romulan and forced him down on a knee. "Two, go fetch Taris," She coughed some more. "Now, before I take my last breath" She started wheezing.

The Tal Shiar that stepped forward nodded and ran to the ship, one of the Imperials running after her.

Karoline closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. She opened them again and looked at the dying Empress before her. For the first time in her life since she believed her mother had died, Sia laughed. Putting a hand on the young Admiral's shoulder, she let her head lean back against the crate.

A few minutes later, the two Romulans ran back, this time with Taris. The former Romulan Commander looked gravely at her old friend and knelt to her level.

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

The blonde winced and clenched her teeth at the pain. "It's alright. I knew it was gonna come back to bite me in the ass," The two Romulans softly chuckled, before falling back into silence. "You need to do it" she croaked, her breathing becoming shallow.

"What? You want me...?" Taris watched as her best friend nodded and gestured at Karoline. The young Captain's eyes widened as she read the Empress's thoughts.

"You want me to take over?" She whispered, shock and surprise lacing her voice. Sela smiled and chuckled.

"You are one of the few people that I trust. Taris," she gestured towards the sober Romulan. "is the other. Therefore," She pulled a ring off and handed it to her. "I hereby relinquish my rule as the Romulan Empress, to you. Treat them well, lead them the way you've always have. Your way" She gently jabbed a shaky finger into Karoline's chest. Sia's wheezing was getting louder.

"Even though I was raised on Romulan, with a Romulan father...I always believed the words of my mother. _Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding_. Proverbs: Verse 3, Psalm 5 and 6" she said.

"You read the Human Bible," Taris whispered in surprise.

Sia chuckled softly, before letting her head drop, her last breath gone into the night of Lempus VIII. Karoline softly wrapped her arms around her neck. The young Betazoid sobbed, her tears wetting the hybrid's blonde hair. Taris, the Imperials, and the Tal Shiar watched in sympathy, before turning it into anger as they looked at Hakeev with malice.

"Admiral, your orders?" One of the Imperials asked, most of the Romulans looked back at the Betazoid. Karoline collected herself, gently setting Sia's head back on the wall of the crate. Both she and Taris stood. Karoline walked up to Hakeev and punched him, breaking his nose.

"You will never again haunt us all. You are forbidden to have any contact with anyone, and anything. You are hereby exiled to the very edge of the galaxy. If I _ever_ see you back here or anywhere near the Federation and Starfleet, I'll kill you myself" She growled. The former Colonel's eyes widened in fear.

"Program the computer to the edge of the galaxy. Make sure he can't contact anyone" The Romulans picked Hakeev up by the arms and escorted him to one of the Imperial ships.

Taris walked up to her and put a comforting hand on the young Admiral's shoulder. "You'll be a perfect fit. She wouldn't have given you the ring if she didn't trust in your abilities" Karoline looked down at the ring on the palm of her hand. Gently picking it up, she examined it.

The ring was pure gold, the middle a ruby-sapphire. The Betazoid noticed the engraving inside and looked at it. _To the right. To the brave_. She looked at the former Commander with bewilderment.

"It means that the sole ruler of us Romulans must be without thought, without pain, without fear, without anger. But with wisdom, with compassion, and with bravery. For a long time, we never had that before Sela took over as Empress" Taris explained. "But you can put it right again. With you as an Immortal, you could lead us and make us stronger, with or without allies" she continued.

Karoline softly nodded and put the ring on her finger. Flexing her hand to get used to the feeling, she heard the returning footsteps of the Romulans. She looked at all of them, sadness clouding their eyes.

One of the young Uhlans stepped forward. "Taris, how are we going to do the Coronation? All of the royal artifacts were on Old Romulus when it exploded" she received concerned murmurs from the others.

"She's right. Without those Artifacts, I cannot do the Coronation and crown you Empress" She looked at the young Admiral with dismay.

"Is there a way we can do it without them? I'm not really comfortable going back to the Iconions and face the Heralds again" Karoline looked at the Romulan with worried eyes.

"I suppose. Matter of fact, there might be another way" Taris explained.

"Then let's get to it" The Admiral smiled and tapped her combadge. "Elisa?" she spoke.

"What the fuck, Karoline! Where the hell have you been?" Karoline winced. Seriously? In front of everyone, really? Taris snorted and looked at the Betazoid with amused eyes, receiving a middle finger in return.

"I've been busy, sorry about that. Um, I kinda need to tell you something. I'm going to be an Empress" She closed her eyes, waiting for Elisa's yelling. But it never came. Instead, a transporter beam shone in front of them, revealing an angry human. Elisa stormed up to Karoline and slapped her, hard.

The Romulans and Taris winced and groaned. Karoline put her hand up to her cheek and sighed.

"Alright. I deserved that" she admitted.

"An Empress? When the hell did you become an Empress?" Elisa yelled. Karoline moved to the side, to show the redhead the lifeless body of the former Empress. Elisa's face relaxed and looked at the Betazoid she came to love. "Sorry, Karoline. I knew how important she was to you" she spoke softly. The taller woman only nodded and took a deep sigh.

"I still have the Coronation to get through. Taris might have a way to do it without the artifacts" Karoline gestured to the Romulan Commander, who slightly backed away in fear from the redhead.

"When is it?" Elisa asked.

"Whenever we can be ready" Came the answer.

* * *

Karoline was dreading this moment. Over a month, they were getting the Coronation prepared. They found a loophole in the Old Romulus's cave paintings. It required the blood of the people, the blood of the new leader.

"Admiral, we're ready" Taris stood by the door, her arms behind her back. Karoline turned and looked at her. The Romulan smiled understandably and walked over to her. "It's okay. Sela was scared too. She honestly thought she wasn't going to make it as our Empress. But her human side won out, and she gained loyal followers, up to the very end of her reign" she explained.

Karoline rolled her shoulders, hearing pops from her neck. She nodded to the Commander and followed her to the makeshift stage.

"Remind me to change the uniforms. You always wondered why you were dying so damn quickly?" Taris smirked with amusement. They continued down the long hallway and walked out to the stage. There Karoline saw the group of four Starfleet officers. The young Betazoid smiled in comfort. She trusted this group with her life.

Taris beckoned her to follow and walked up to the podium. "The people of the Old Romulan Empire! Last month, we had lost one of the greatest leaders in our history. But today, we have gained a new leader. Sela's trusted advocate. With her, we will rise once again as the mightest Empire in the Galaxy" The crowd roared. The Romulan gestured Karoline to step up to the podium. She looked down at the gauntlet nervously.

Metallic blood mixed with red blood from the Betazoids almost made the young Betazoid puke. She turned to look at the Commander, who grabbed a shining dagger and walked to her.

"Karoline Vaskin, please open your hand" Karoline obeyed and winced as the dagger sliced her palm open. Nodding to the gauntlet, Taris watched as the young Betazoid's hand hovered over the cup, the Admiral squeezing it into a fist until several drops of her blood dropped.

The Romulan Commander bandaged her hand. The young Betazoid stepped back and faced the Romulan. The silence was unbearable to Karoline. It reminded her of her time as a Gladiator for Hakeev's amusement.

"As you drink this, you are taking on not just a responsibility, but a promise. A promise Sela had added to the texts because she believed we can move past the Totalitarian government, and to have a freer state. Her promise still grows to this very day. Because we believed in that promise. As we are on unknown grounds, with a fresh start...We definitely need an Empress, or if you're into it, an Emperor. Do you accept the blood offering from the Ancients," Karoline looked at her in alarm. Taris looked at her apologetically and went back to the speech. " The blood of your people, the blood of your subjects?" she finished.

Karoline hesitated and looked at the crowd. What would Sela do? _Probably fucking nail it_ , she thought with anxiety. Then, calm washed over her. She spun around to find the source, only to find nothing. She looked back at the gauntlet. Bringing the cup to her lips, she tilted the cup. She felt the blood quickly pooling in her mouth. Swallowing it, she put the gauntlet down gently, turning to Taris.

"With the power invested from the people into you: Welcome home, Emperor Vaskin" Closing the texts, the crowd roared as they cheered. Karoline smiled warmly at the scene.

She walked up to the podium and raised her hands. The crowd got quiet, eager to hear their new ruler's first words.

"I know a lot of you, can't believe Sela is dead. This is a fresh start. A better start. But this would no longer be the Romulan Star Empire," Confused murmurs flowed through the crowd. Karoline raised her hands again, silencing the crowd. "It would be a new Empire, one built on trust and freedom, for all sentient life, no matter how small or how big. This is the Nigalla Empire. The first step to regain your lost colonies is through peace. I hope I could take care of all of you. But, I need your corporation to do it" She spoke.

She gestured to the assembled group. All stepping up to the podium, Karoline stood at each of them, starting with Sia, her little magpie. With an encouraging smile, she gently grasped the young Betazoid's shoulders. "Sia, you've become one of the most trusted members of my crew. I ranked you, Commander so that you could have what I didn't. You fell in love with a Vulcan. A forbidden relationship unfolds before you. Look at you now" The engineer looked at her Mentor, tears rolling down her cheeks. "That's why I'm proud of my decision, to make you my Engineering Advisor". Sia stared at her, then smiled a grin. She hugged the older Betazoid. Standing still from surprise, she quickly recovered and hugged her back.

Sia let go and Karoline walked to the next person, a Vulcan. The young Admiral smiled at her other motherly figure with admiration in her eyes. T'nae did something Vulcans never do, allowing tears to well up in her eyes.

"T'nae. For as long as I've known you...You were a strong woman. Even when you were the sole survivor of Nero's attack and the loss of many friends, you came out on top. You showed me how to be stronger and braver because of you" The Vulcan let her tears fall down her cheeks. "That is why I am deeply honored to have you as my military advisor". T'nae smiled a grin and softly hugged her. Karoline smiled and hugged back.

The next person was Michael Burnham. The young Science officer stared straight ahead. Karoline looked at her with respect. She smiled and stood straight. "Michael. My _Soror Magna_. You taught me valuable lessons from our first meeting. You've earned my trust multiple times, multiple situations that should've killed me. Even when you were raised by a Vulcan, you persevered through the challenges and came out on top. You showed me how to be resilient, a shining example to my crew, and offered me advice based on what you learned. I respect you, _Soror Magna._ Because of you, I am deeply honored to have you become my Scientific Advisor". Michael looked at her, shocked with teary eyes.

The last person was Elisa. Karoline looked at her with love, causing the redhead to smile. "Elisa. Since I met you thirteen years ago, you became my best friend. My very first. You are my rock. My anchor. That is why I want you to be my Right Hand" The Tactical officer looked down, sniffing.

"Damn it, Vaskin" She looked back at the grinning Emperor and smiled softly. "Yes. I'll be your Right Hand" she replied.

"The citizens of the Nigalla Empire! Let us feast, as we celebrate the day your leader has returned" She yelled through the microphone.

The crowd screamed. Karoline watched as the crowd dispersed down to the campsites, laughing and conversing. The young Betazoid smiled warmly at the sight.

"We should probably catch up. I am starving" The Emperor squared her shoulders uncomfortably. The group of four behind her chuckled in amusement and followed their new leader down the steps and towards the campsites. Stopping in her tracks, Karoline turned to look at Taris. "Taris! Come on. You gotta eat too" The Romulan walked down the stage and followed the group to the campsite.


	2. The Nigallian Capitol

The next few months were brutal for Karoline. Taris did the best she could in helping her shift from being an Admiral, to an Emporer. She became the Betazoid's Royal Advisor and General of her armed forces. Two titles the reinstated Romulan took with pride and honor.

Because they didn't have a building for the new Emporer, Karoline and her advisors had no problems in terms of living on the flagship.

In the first month, she had a lot to do. First, she needed to build a communication relay station. Sia and a few Reman engineers built it onboard the ship. When she contacted the Federation to relay the news, President Janeway agreed to send as many supplies and officers as possible for the Romulans to rebuild. The young Admiral was grateful for the legendary Starfleet Captain who was so understanding.

The next thing she had to do, was water. All humanoids could survive only three days without water. There was a river of about forty kilometers long next to the campsites. She instructed Michael and Sia to start building plans for the necessary waterworks when the supplies and manpower arrived.

The farmers were already starting to lay out the land to start growing crops by the third month. Karoline knew that any humanoid could survive three weeks without food, but the food storages were nearing empty. So Michael started helping them too, much to the farmers' relief.

Now, she had another problem to deal with. Because of the past alliances Sela and Hakeev made, she needed to tread carefully, before it turned into a war. A war she didn't want when her people weren't even ready to defend themselves, let alone their new home.

"Emperor. Your advisors would like to review the plans for the utilities across the river" Karoline heard the voice of the young Uhlan. Smirking slightly, the brunette stood, walking to the door and opened it. The Uhlan squeaked in surprise.

"Tell them I'll be in the war room," She spoke. Quickly nodding, the Uhlan ran down the hallway she walked in. The Betazoid chuckled softly and stepped out, the door sliding shut.

She walked down the long hallways of the flagship, her feet clanking against the grilled flooring. _I need to discuss this sort of thing to Taris_ , Karoline thought in annoyance. She didn't have a problem with Taris. She had a problem with how the ships were built. Romulans proved to be the masters of recon, hence the cloaking devices. But in terms of their ships, they should be sleeker and hard to see. _I should discuss it with T'nae and Sia as well_.

Reaching the war room, the door slid open, revealing the _Discovery_ Science Commander and the young pink-haired Betazoid looking at a hologram projection of the blueprints. When they heard the door sliding open and close, they glanced up to see Karoline with her hands behind her back.

"You have plans?" The brunette asked, receiving nods in return. "Good. Show me," she kindly ordered.

Michael tapped on the datapad connected into the table, pulling up the map of Lempus VIII. "Because the river is forty kilometers in length, we've had to get creative with our plans" She started.

"So, the first thing we need to bring water to the farmers. So," Karoline watched as Sia zoomed in to see the river. "We knew we have to build irrigation canals to connect the farms" she finished.

"That brings up our next problem. Sewage, unfortunately," The two Betazoids snorted in amusement at the Commander's disgusted muttering. "We'll have to put the sewage plant farther down the river, to make sure the farms aren't contaminated," she said. Karoline nodded in understanding, her hand holding her chin in deep thought.

"What about electricity? I promised them all of it for the camps" She spoke. Michael nodded in understanding.

"We know. So, we got plans for that as well," Sia replied. Michael zoomed out, only to zoom in farther down the planned city limits and stopped at a large mountain. "We can use the mountain as the main power plant. That way, when we build it, we would also be building landing sites in case anything happens" she finished.

"The water and sewage we could take care of that now" Michael added. Karoline smiled warmly. She knew she picked the perfect people to be her advisors. Michael was a Scientist, so her brains came in handy. Sia's math skills came in handy when building infrastructure or ship-wide engineering. Put the two together, you had a living computer.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll relay it to Taris the next time I see her. Oh and Sia, I need you and T'nae. At the moment, Taris is busy planning the shifts with Obisek" The young Betazoid nodded and followed the Emporer out the war room and off the ship. _T'nae, where are you?_ Karoline stopped. _With the farmers. They've been having trouble with some familiar bugs. They're unusually big_. Sia and the brunette chuckled.

"Last one there, has to go to Taris's meeting" Sia exclaimed and started to run down to the planned farmland.

"What the-? Hey, you can't do that! Fuck!" Karoline took off behind her student. The Remans looked at the scene with amused smiles. Obisek's Little Spy was well respected within the Reman community. Seeing the Emporer acting like her old self, brought some hope back into their eyes. If she could be herself, what's stopping them from doing so?

The Betazoid duo reached the farmland, panting. Sia glanced at her Mentor, victoriously. Mentally grumbling, the new Emporer walked to the former Admiral. Sensing her approach, T'nae turned around and smiled softly. Karoline returned it and stood next to her.

"How bad?" She asked in worry.

"Not that bad, but still..." The Vulcan gestured down at the pathed road. The brunette's jaw dropped at the sight of the bugs. They were Praying Mantises, but there were detailed differences between Earth's and Lempus's Mantises.

For one, their size. They were six feet tall and their arms were three feet in length. But, they were curled inward. Karoline paled. She wondered how long their arms were when they're completely straight. She didn't want to know.

Instead of a practical Praying Mantis body like the Earth species, these were completely made out of metal. Karoline couldn't even fathom the amount of raw jaw pressure those things had.

Their eyes glowed red, shining as brightly as fire. They roared metallic screeches, stomping around the farm plots. The farmers huddled close by the watching duo, too afraid to get close to them.

"Do we know what these things are?" Karoline asked. T'nae shook her head.

"We do not. The farmers were the first ones that discovered them" she answered.

The Betazoid held her chin in deep thought. These metal Praying Mantises was a newly discovered species. Lempus VIII was a recently claimed planet by the Tal Shiar under Hakeev's command. No-one else laid claim to it, so no-one knew what was on it.

"We should name their species," T'nae shot the Emporer an amused smile. "Oh don't look at me like that" The brunette playfully glared at her adopted mother.

"Well then, what should it be?" The Vulcan asked.

"How about Menidaes?" T'nae looked thoughtful, before looking back at the young Betazoid.

"Not a bad name for them" she praised.

"So, it's settled. I need to see if Obisek and few willing volunteers could trap one, humanely. We need to know their anatomy" T'nae nodded at her Emporer's words. It made sense. It's what they always do in terms of discovering a new species, humanoid or not. "Oh, one more thing. We need to discuss new ship designs for their ships" The Vulcan quirked an eyebrow. The mental reason was sound and logical. She followed Karoline as the trio walked over to the farmers.

"Stay as far away from them as you can. We don't know what the Menidaes will do. Until we know more about their anatomy, be careful. Study their habits, adapt to it, use it to your advantage" Karoline explained.

"Doesn't look like these things are trampling on the growing crops," Sia pointed out. Karoline looked at the Praying Mantises again. The young engineer was right. The Menidaes walked past the crops. It looked like they were guarding them. Perplexed, the trio walked back to the main tent, where they set up their temporary base of operations.

Taris and Obisek leaned over the metal table, talking in hushed voices. The Reman General was the first to spot the trio walking in.

"Ah. What brings you here, Little Spy?" Karoline grinned from ear to ear. She trusted the old Reman completely. It wouldn't be easy to lead the Remans without him, as their liaison.

"Two things. I need Taris to discuss new ship designs for the fleet," The Romulan looked at her with interest.

"What is the other?" Obisek asked.

"We found a new species down by the farmlands. Scared the shit out of the poor farmers. Looks like Metal Praying Mantises. Gave them the name of Menidaes. I need you and a few willing volunteers to trap one, humanely. We need to figure out their anatomy, as well as other things. I've already got a plan for them" The young Emporer explained.

"Like what?" Taris voiced.

"I'm wondering if we could tame them. If we can, we can use them to guard certain places. Mineshafts, farms, water supply routes, the powerplant, and the Citadel" The two Generals looked at her impressed. She was right. If they knew whether or not they could be trained, that would help when the time came.

"It ill be done, Little Spy" Obisek bowed, Karoline returning it. The four women walked down further down the main campsite to a metal shack. This was where the blueprints were carried out.

"So, new ship designs?" Taris got to the point.

"You Romulans are the masters of Recon, hence the cloaking devices. I'm confused as to why your ships aren't sleeker and difficult to see" The young Betazoid voiced. The other women nodded in agreement. The Romulans used the designs the Senate decided on. The Romulan Advisor mentally scoffed in annoyance. _Idiots_.

"I agree. I do think its time to change the ship's overall designs" Taris agreed. Karoline smiled and turned to an engineering Commander. "Hey, hand me a blank datapad, will you?" The Romulan obeyed and handed her the pad. "So, we need a new insignia for the Empire. I have Polluck draw some designs. Next, are the ships," she started.

"If you want to make them sleeker, we'll need to get rid of the usual propulsion engines," T'nae continued.

"We also have to take into account the weaponry built into the ships. They're too bulky for those designs" The Romulan Advisor pointed out.

Poor Sia kept her hand raised, waving frantically to gain the other women's attention. Karoline was the first to see her.

"Yes, Sia?" she asked. The other two looked at her.

Dropping her hand to her side, the engineering Advisor took out her datapad from her tool pod. "What about we make sleeker weapon designs too? We know what the typical ships would have. What about we make our own? The ones that no-one's seen before? That would definitely come in handy when we start retaking their colonies" She looked at the group.

The three older women looked at each other, impressed. Sia's ideas were unique. They couldn't have thought of some of them, themselves.

Karoline looked at her student with pride. She knew she made the right decision of making her her engineering Advisor.

"When do those ships arrive?" Karoline looked at her watch.

"Tonight, at midnight" T'nae replied.

Sia groaned in dismay. The pink-haired Betazoid wasn't equipped to handle being awake well past midnight. She ended up sleeping two whole days afterward, based on her sleeping condition.

"We won't need you, Sia. Take a break" Karoline ordered gently. Her student smiled thankfully at her.

"Now that's out of the way, I am going to take a short nap. You two should too. Tonight's gonna be a long night" The brunette breathed out in exhaustion and walked back to her ship. T'nae and Taris chuckled and started thinking of other modifications for the new ships.

* * *

Karoline watched the third ship that night, with tired eyes. In front of her, transporter beams shined. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the _Discovery_ bridge crew. Michael looked at them with a welcoming smile.

"Emporer Vaskin. I know it is extremely late. President Janeway and most of Starfleet thought the planet's rotation was going to be a lot longer than this" Pike politely bowed.

 _Remind me to change the salute. That looks ridiculous. Let me guess, the Senate?_ She turned to Taris, who tapped the heel of her boot without looking at her. _Yeah. Pretty much. A lot of Romulans hate that salute. Sela did too_ , Karoline snorted, covering her mouth with a fist. The bridge crew of the _Discovery_ looked at her strangely.

"Sorry," She held up a hand. "I'm just imagining an annoyed Sela right now" The rest of the group snickered and hid the smiles. Jett Reno, the engineer who was dragged through four-hundred years into the future with the _USS Irish-Luck_ and its crew, snickered. She cleared her throat at the look on Pike's and Sulu's faces.

"Anyway, T'nae and Michael would help unload the supplies. Since you are also here on Janeway's orders to help us, would you mind helping with the building?" Pike opened his mouth to speak, but a shrill roar cut through the air. The activity stopped and all was silent. The surrounding crowd split, as a rocking and banging crate rang loudly in the air. "Oh shit. They caught one" Michael and T'nae followed Karoline towards the crate.

Obisek jumped down from the crate and landed beside the young Betazoid. "Careful, Little Spy. This one nearly took out one of my best fighters" He gestured to the young Reman jumping down with a grunt. The Emporer saw the bandage wrapped around his eyes.

"Taris," The General stepped forward. "Do we have an observation deck?" A headshake almost caused Karoline to swear.

"Um, excuse me, Emporer," The Betazoid turned to face Pike. "We have a newly expanded observation deck. Whatever's in there, could be put in there" He stood nervously. The brunette looked at Michael, who hid a smirk.

"How is it, that everyone that sees me for the first time nowadays, is fucking scared of me?" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up. Elisa hid her face in her hands and shook her head.

Michael couldn't hold it in any longer and roared in laughter at her former Captain's terrified face. The rest of his crew snickered.

"I'm sorry. It's true, sadly" She calmed down.

"She hates it too, apparently" Taris started going through her datapad once more.

"I'll try to remember that" The experienced Captain responded.

"Alright. Obisek, take Michael and T'nae with you and the Menidae. Be careful" The young Betazoid smirked at the fake annoyance in the Reman General's eyes. She turned back to Pike. "Let's see about those supplies, shall we?" She started walking to one of the shuttles the Romulans were unloading, Pike and the rest of the bridge crew hesitantly followed.

Bending down and grabbing one of the crates, Karoline lifted it and gave it to two other Romulans, who took it without a word. The _Discovery_ crew, safe Jett, looked shocked as they watched the young Betazoid passed the crates of supplies off to pairs of Romulans and Remans, all without breaking a sweat. Noticing the absence, she turned to look at the officers and Captain.

"Are you going to help or what?" The question snapped them back to reality, and the group started assisting the Emperor and the other officers. Jett sent the young brunette a wink, causing the Betazoid to mentally snort. _Where's Polluck?_ She handed off another crate. _Ah, don't worry. She's here. Unfortunately, she's caught the 'Space Flu'_. Jett's thought chuckled. In a mock wince, Karoline smiled and walked inside to finish unloading the shuttle.

* * *

The basics of the city were laid out and the construction began two weeks later. The factories were placed in the radius of the Citadel. The main apartments were spaced out beyond the factory district, with canals being built in the open space for drinkable water if there's ever a shortage.

Karoline sighed in relief. The plans for the city were finally over and done with. Pike and some of the other captains helped when she was too tired to stand. The brunette made a mental note to thank them for their kindness in taking over for her.

"Emperor Vaskin," A knock came from the other side of the door. The young Betazoid groaned and walked to the door. The door slid open, revealing one of the Starfleet officers.

"Yes?" She rubbed the exhaustion out of her eyes. The officer looked at her in understanding.

"Captain Pike and Kelvin Kirk are waiting for you down at the main tent" she explained. Karoline nodded half-heartedly and closed the door. She went to the closet and opened it, only to have exhaustion replaced by confusion.

In front of her was a uniform. Midnight black warlock-style jacket, black loose pants, black combat boots, and a black helmet. The hood ornament on the helmet was sliver and was curved outward and joined down slightly past the black visor. The buckle on the pants and jacket had a shining gold emblem, with a crow flying off with an olive branch.

The young Emperor squinted and saw a piece of paper pinned to the jacket. She took the pin out and opened the paper.

**_Figured you'd want a change in your uniform too. If you want it changed, let me know. Don't worry, I won't get upset. Jett probably would though.  
_ \- _Polluck  
P.S, Evelyn designed the new Romulan insignia. It's badass._**

_So, that's what's on the belt._ Karoline raised an eyebrow, before smiling a toothy grin. She could always count on the Trill Admiral to make her something like this. The two often joked about the Kelvin Captain being a tailor. That was before they would start annoying the redhead, who Polluck was dating.

Snapping back into reality, she started taking the uniform off the mannequin.

* * *

Pike and Kirk looked at the new designs for the Romulan ships, impressed.

"Damn. I knew Michael was gonna use some of the shit she saw in my timeline," Kirk chuckled, his crystal blue eyes stared at the datapad in his hand. Pike smiled a small grin.

"Pike, Kirk. What's up?" The two Captains turned and stopped short. Karoline was in her new uniform, her hand holding her helmet at her side.

"Uh..." Kirk looked back at Pike, who opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"This is about the ship designs" The Emperor walked to the table, setting down her helmet and picked up the datapad Kirk previously held.

"Yeah. Why are they much sleeker than the original?" The Kelvin captain stood beside the young brunette. Karoline shot him an excited grin.

"The Romulans are true masters of stealth and Reconissense. They have the cloaking devices, but their ships are too bulky to do much of anything. This," she gestured to the pad. "will eliminate that problem. With chromium metal, the ships would be virtually invisible" she explained with proud eyes.

The two older Captains looked at each other, impressed smiles on their faces.

"Not bad, kid" Pike whipped his head at the young Captain with, a look of exasperation on his face. The Betazoid chuckled and winked at the Kelvin Kirk.

"I have to go and take care of the uniforms. _Your_ Romulans," she pointed a finger at Kirk. "don't have the problem mine have. And yet they always get slaughtered in five damn minutes, because of how shiny their shitty uniforms are!" She threw her hands up in annoyance. She put her helmet on and walked out.

* * *

The brunette found the Romulan General by the farms, kneeling in front of the river. She walked to stand beside her and knelt to one knee.

"What's wrong?" Karoline's voice was muffled by the helmet. Taris looked at her and smiled. _Not bad, Vaskin._ Chuckling, the Emperor took off her helmet and sat it on the ground.

"Nothing. Just remembering when we were kids," The Advisor whispered. The young Betazoid looked at her sympathetically. She knew that feeling all too well. She felt her eyes burning. Clearing her throat, she grabbed her helmet and stood. Taris stood with her.

"I need your help with the uniforms. We'll need Polluck's help," she looked at her.

"Was that from her?" The Romulan gestured to the brunette's new uniform. Karoline smiled a grin and walked off, her General walking beside her.

**< ><><><><><><><>**

" 'ey! It's the sexy Immortal!" The dark-skinned Trill opened her arms wide, grinning from ear to ear, her silver eyes sparkling at the young Betazoid. Karoline mirrored the grin and grabbed the Admiral's arm, before pulling her in, patting her back.

"How's you and Eve?" The brunette put her helmet under her arm. The three women walked down the 21st Century hallways of the _Irish Luck_. The blue lights were welcoming to the Emperor. They walked into a turbolift and took it up to the bridge.

Whirring, the turbolift opened, as the trio walked out onto the bridge. Polluck smiled a devilish grin and strode over to Evelyn, her front pressed into her back, and wrapped her arms around her waist. Softly kissing the redhead's cheek, the two chuckled.

Karoline watched with sober eyes. She wanted what they had. But with her, as an Emperor now, she couldn't have it. No matter how hard she tried.

"Vaskin's here" The couple looked at the young Betazoid. Evelyn walked over to her and smiled understandingly.

"So...I need your guy's help with the uniforms" Karoline explained. Polluck walked over and wrapped an arm around the lieutenant's shoulders.

"Sure thing, sexy. I already got some designs based on the training for them" she replied.

"You have no idea where you left it, do you?" Evelyn gave the Trill a side-glance. Polluck took her arm off and ran into the turbolift without a word. The redhead shook her head and walked back to her station.

"Guess we'll have to wait" Taris shrugged.

**< ><><><><><><><>**

"Alright! Found it" Polluck walked briskly into the conference room. The duo looked up from their places. Taris leaned her back against the wall, with Karoline sitting on the table.

"Good. Let's look at them," The Trill handed the Emperor her sketchbook. Karoline opened it and was immediately impressed. The Romulan General looked over the taller woman's shoulder and smirked. Her men were going to look badass.

* * *

After nearly a year, the Capitol was finally completed. The citizens of the new Empire and Starfleet joined in the city square to celebrate the completion of their new home. Karoline leaned on the railing of the Citidel, a leg propped on the bottom railing. She smiled softly at the cheers of her people, her subjects. Finally, the completion of the Capitol was finally here. Tomorrow would be the start on the ships.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Elisa walking up to her. Sighing, she situated herself in Karoline's position beside her and rolled her neck. Taking off her headpiece, it hung loosely from her hand over the railing.

The young Betazoid looked at her best friend. The redhead glanced at her, causing Karoline to quickly look down.

"Tired huh?" The Irish woman smiled. The Emperor looked back at her.

"You could say that," She looked back at the lit spires and factories in the distance. "Look at this. Under a year, and we built them a new home" The young brunette smiled weakly.

"She'd be proud of you, you know. Cap would be too" Elisa shrugged and looked back down at the city square. The brunette stared at her, her tanned skin glowed from the bonfires down below.

Karoline looked away and swallowed thickly. Elisa was her best friend for fifteen years. She didn't want to fall in love with anyone. But with Elisa, she did. It scared her. What if she said no? She couldn't handle that.

Elisa absent-mindedly took Karoline's hand into hers and laid her head on her shoulder. The young Betazoid closed her eyes and let her head drop. She didn't want to, but she fell madly in love with her redhead. She smiled a small grin. She could live with that.


End file.
